Now I'm thinking about gnomes, gnomes gnomes. Some ideas on class abilities.

1. Tiny size: because they're very small, smaller than halflings (about "2 spans tall" so between 18 and 24 inches on average), they use d3 for hit points, but they receive +4 to armor class. That bonus is doubled if their opponent is larger than man-sized. They are pacifists by nature, and don't spend much time learning hand to hand combat, but they're tough to catch just because of their tiny size. Gnomes cannot carry large objects or wear heavy armor, which is fine by them as they generally eschew possessions anyhow.

2. Fluency: gnomes can understand and speak with all animals and elementals (level 0), sentient races/creatures (level 1), and even most plants (level 3) and inanimate stones (level 5). This is basically an empathic form of understanding. But they're illiterate (by their culture) and have to learn written languages per their Intelligence just like everyone else (obviously that only counts for languages that have writing, there's no written "wolf" or "birch tree," for example). They also must learn to speak angelic/infernal and alignment languages, as those do not come naturally to them.

3. Garden Wards: humans place tiny figures of gnomes in their gardens to protect them and defend against intruders, and this custom comes from the innate powers of real gnomes. A gnome can always counterspell, and therefore spell duel, as a cleric (based on personality). Their counterspells are always considered to be a defensive counterspell. Their spell checks are rolled based on their level (0: d12, 1: d14, 2: d16, 3: d20, 4: d20, 5: d24, 6: d24, 7: d24, 8: d30, 9: d30, 10: d30). Gnomes can also spellburn stats to use in a spell duel / counterspelling action.

4. Camouflage: gnomes are small and secretive, and able to stand motionless for long periods of time. They can hide just like thieves at level 1, and at level 4 they can invoke the power of the natural world around them to cloak allies within 10' in a similar way. This ability lasts for up to 3 hours per level.

5. Invoke the Purity of Nature: because of their affinity for the natural world, gnomes are intimately familiar with elementals and natural forces, and they with them. Elementals will not attack a gnome, even if ordered, though they will defend themselves if a gnome engages them. Similarly, a gnome may invoke the power of nature to cleanse taint and corruption from a thing (level 3), person (level 6), or area (level 9). This power is similar to a cleric's turn unholy ability, in that a gnome essentially banishes the corruption or taint from the thing, person, or area by rebuking it. The gnome rolls a d20 and adds his level and Personality modifier versus a DC of 15 (minor corruption/curse/taint), 20 (major corruption/curse/taint), or 25 (greater corruption/curse/taint).

6. Animal Companion: a gnome may take an animal companion similar to a wizard's familiar, although strictly nonmagical in nature. Many gnomes enjoy riding wild dogs or wolves, and a few of the more powerful have been seen riding polar bears or tigers. The gnome must bargain with the animal, much as a human would pay a hireling, although the animal will remain loyal to the gnome so long as the gnome sticks to the bargain. This is up to the judge, but typically carnivorous animals will demand to be fed meat regularly, and of specific or higher quality the more powerful the animal (e.g., polar bears demand seal meat at least once/week, tigers demand human, elf, or orc flesh once/week, etc).

7. Shape Plants: a gnome can sing to plants to cause them to grow in particular patterns. For example, a gnome can cause a tree to grow protrusions that are step-like, so he could walk to the top of the tree, or he could cause briars and brambles to grow in a thicket, to hide or shield him from prying eyes. This takes place gradually, but speeds up as a gnome increases in level. The plants grow at the rate of 1' per level per turn, to a maximum size (or affecting a maximum size) of 10' per level per day.

Gnomes think of themselves as guardians of the natural world, and as such, are almost exclusively neutral in alignment. They do get afflicted by some of the wanderlust that strikes halflings, though, and an adventuring gnome can be a valuable part of a party because of their powerful defensive abilities.

I'd like to see as many class options as possible, as long as their descriptions, abilities, and overall flavor match the gritty spirit of DCC. That is to say, all power comes with a price.

Monk - This is different enough from "weapon-fighting" warrior that I think it deserves a chance as a separate class. It would be great to see a devotion aspect to this class too (tied in with alignment).

Bard - This doesn't fit as on offshoot from any of the current races/classes - certainly could be made unique and fun to play if done right.

Psionist - Not my cup of tea. That doesn't mean I don't want to see it done however. Caution should be applied to avoid an overpowered class.

Gnome (as the Illusionist) - Another race with unique flavor? I'm in favor.

The following are all things I like in theory, however I'm not sure they differ enough from the core classes/races.

Paladin - A mix between a cleric/fighter?Ranger - A specialized fighter?Assassin - A specialized thief.Barbarian (Can be played as Orc, if that's your thing) - A specialized fighter.Half-elf - Only interesting if differentiated enough from their parent races; seems more like a world-setting flavor choice.

Perhaps some "advanced" paths (e.g. after level 5?) could be fleshed out based upon player choice and character alignment to move into these more specialized classes, with some minor changes to skills. Obviously this doesn't work for races, and some classes. For a Paladin, Ranger, or Assassin though, perhaps your actions (devotion to a god, tracking in wilderness, killing by stealth/poison) dictate being awarded these titles with some consequences being bumps in certain skill checks, or totally new abilities. This makes the progression from a farmer -> fighter -> paladin seem more logical... Just an idea.

One of the challenging aspects of introducing all these specialized classes is, how do you make it work within the core context of the game, if at all? Whole new job charts may be required, and a serious change to the flavor of the world, as envisioned by the authors. I'm not saying this is a BAD thing, it just requires thinking beyond the classes themselves, their surroundings, their society, jobs and roles too.

I also agree that it would be important to actually play these creations, not just put pen to paper and claim this as done. The most worthwhile additions will be the ones with lots of player/judge input.

I'm pretty much up for the Bard, Psionic, Gnome and Monk type classes as well as a Barbarian. The Barbarian fits very well with the sword and sorcery feel, however, that can easily be done through the warrior class to a certain extent.The progression path thing has some potential. Makes sense as well. After level five you can pick a specialize path that offer a couple specific abilities and bonuses.

Paladin PathRequirement: Must be Lawful in alignment and go on a holy quest for a patron god.Abilities: Level 5 Smite Foe: When making an attack a paladin can used his Deed to smite an opponent. This smite adds an aditional 1d6 points of damage of the deed succeeds.Level 6: Summon Mount: A Paladin can summon forth a holy mount, that will be his life long friend and companion.Level 7: Holy Shield: Once per day per personality bonus the paladin can grant himself a holy shield that gives him his paladin level as a bonus to AC, lasts for 2d6 rounds.Exp Penalty: (Because you are granted addition abilities you will require more exp to level up, maybe an additional 20exp to get to level 6, then 40 to get to level 7, 60 to get to level 8 and so on.Restrictions: A Paladin must always uphold the law and the tenants of the deity he follows. Failure to do so the paladin may suffer from disapproval from his deity and loose all abilites. These restrctions can be different from deity to deity.

Just rehashing all the old tropes might not be the best path forward. How about a Performer class into which all concepts of Bard, Courtesan, Courtier, Dilettante, or any iteration could be wrapped? A bit of danger, but not the best fighters. A LOT of social potential, with variations on behavioral manipulation that make up for less effective combat and fabrication skills.

From what I've seen, keeping the total classes to a minimum but with maximum flexibility will allow DCC RPG to stand out from other OSR offerings.

Since the class will appear in Crawl!, how about make use of previous articles:

Bounty Hunter: Equally adept with lethal and non-lethal combat. Proficient with Bolas, Bullwhip, Lasso, and Net (from Crawl #2's "Killin' Time!"). Entanglement penalties are doubled on DCC page 78 if a Bounty Hunter uses one of these weapons. This class does not take the -1d penalty for subdual damage if using a particular weapon (from DCC 96). Bonuses to grappling could also be appropriate. This could be a nice hybrid alternative to the AD&D bard that has a different feel. Perhaps even base the class on Luck as "primary" ability.

I need an Eastern marital artist for my Shanthopal setting, so I am really hoping that an excellent "monk" (or similar) appears.

For psionics (which are an Appendix N concept!) I am thinking of having occasional random mutations that are not within a character's control. I.e., you may become a telepath, but you cannot generally choose to become a telepath. I am thinking that I can modify the psionics system from RCFG to accomplish this, and will post them to my blog or as a document and/or submit to Crawl! when I have that stuff worked out.

Just rehashing all the old tropes might not be the best path forward. How about a Performer class into which all concepts of Bard, Courtesan, Courtier, Dilettante, or any iteration could be wrapped? A bit of danger, but not the best fighters. A LOT of social potential, with variations on behavioral manipulation that make up for less effective combat and fabrication skills.

From what I've seen, keeping the total classes to a minimum but with maximum flexibility will allow DCC RPG to stand out from other OSR offerings.

You've got a good point here; I would hate to see DCC become similar to some other games where everything is a class or a prestige class.

I would also suggest that class titles are as Appendix N-ish as possible. I love that the term "Warrior" is used instead of "Fighter". In the lit, you come across "Fighting Man" (0e) and "Warrior" (DCC) a lot, but the shortened "Fighter" doesn't come up nearly as often. Keeping the titles focused on the lit helps to maintain the vibe of the game. IMHO.

There are a few classes I've been thinking about that attempt to bring some 1960s/70s vibe. They may not be completely Appendix N related, so inclusion in a campaign may or may not be appropriate.

Martial Artist. Based on the kung-fu crazy of the early 70s, this class mirrors the style of Chinese Wushu (but could be adapted to others such as Karate). Differing from a Warrior's raw attack prowess, the Martial Artist dodges often and times their attacks based on their opponent's movements. When an opponent misses the Martial Artist, they are able to counter-attack in combinations.

Gnome. Not the magical type that has evolved in D&D, but the 15cm garden variety based mostly on European lore & legend. This Gnome works with animals in accomplishing tasks and is able to care for them with herb and plant knowledge. They are also able to deceive others into thinking they are inanimate and non-living.

Psychic. Essentially a Psionicist, but the term Psychic seemed more 70s to me for some reason.

Illusionist. A non-magical trickster. Using sleight-of-hand and stage tricks, this class is able to deceive foes and confuse them. Perhaps very similar to the Jester or Performer type that has already been suggested.

Traveler. From another time, place, or dimension. This class is clearly "not from around here", but has lost his/her memory and does not know how to return. Sporting exotic (but limited) technology that is too complex for others to understand.

I like the martial artist as posted by bitflipr, and also Barbarian. I don't necessarily think the MA should have the D&D 'open hand' damage - seriously, knife edge hand strike against a gorget? nah. Although was fun to play a 3.0 monk who leapt on a dragon and then KO'd it with Stunning Fist. While flying. Landing wasn't as much fun.

What the two classes need that I feel isn't met by the core rules and MDoA is the dodge ability inherent in the classes. Alternately, the rules could be modded to balance masterful agility with armor.

It would be nice to have an alternate name for barbarian though, as the name has additional implications that aren't necessary for the class...

And I agree about not getting too granular about the classes. For example, I fail to see the need for a Ranger class when all could be accomplished by allowing a player to take a Hunter or Trapper occupation and giving them a pet.

I too agree that a Ranger can be covered simply with a Warrior with Hunter/Trapper as an occupation, but if someone were to come up with something interesting that makes the Ranger something more than that, that would be interesting. Like "thief-like" skills that apply to the wilderness.

I have no issue with a monk/martial artist type that can kill with bare hands. Damage is damage, and DCC RPG combat is abstract combat, so although technically a bullet flying at 1000+ fps does significantly more damage than a dagger, and a sword does significantly more damage than a fist, a 0-level human can be taken out of combat with a single hit from any of those attacks, for all purposes, they all can "kill" in a single blow. A professional boxer can kill the average man with a solid punch, or at least take someone out of combat. What makes this class interesting is that they can be as effective as a warrior, but with their bare hands, in combat. But could also have some strange Ki based powers, etc.

I plan to put up the poll next week, and we'll go from there. So keep the proposals coming!

1. Gnome - I love the idea of basically playing a character from the tales of David the Gnome. Very druidic in nature, mastery of herbalism, capable of speaking with animals, and using nature to an almost magical degree, wearing pointy hats and fitting in one's pocket.

2. Traveler - I think that there can be great fun with the Traveler idea, though I'm leaning towards the title "Visitor" instead since all the PCs do is travel already. The Visitor class I would like to see would be guided by a large number of tables, indicating various physical characteristics, abilities, history, technologies, etc. It would truely be a class for those that want an entirely randomized experience, or at least a character with more story-flavor than the standard core classes. It could be a magical monk with a sword made of light, an accountant from Connecticut, a giant talking tentacle, or a time traveling madman in a blue box. As a bit of a balance, judges can always tailor their own tables to suit what they would be willing to accept in their adventures.

3. Bard - I've always loved the Bard class, but I think I'd want to see it refreshed in DCC somehow. I personally think that the Bard is far more ideal to be an Illusionist than the Wizard or Gnome classes. The Illusionist Bard can, at low levels, perform basic charms and prestidigitations just by virtue of being good at its chosen profession. However, at higher levels, the Bard will begin down a path that channels the same raw & dangerous magic of Wizards. The personality (and luck) within the Bard begin to manifest in amazing ways, to the point where one can present believable realities (i.e. illusions). Of course, the illusions can always misfire or corrupt the Bard, so there would be a great reason to make more misfire & corruption tables!

I actually like the Traveler best as an occupation, i.e. background. An idea I was thinking of was declaring a number, 1-100, before you roll for occupation. If you call it, you're a traveler from another world.Probably a whole series of charts just for it. Naked with nothing? A lost astronaut? Rift in time? Future issue, FOR SURE! Just waiting on James Raggi's gunpowder rules...

I've kinda been thinking about doing a DragonLance conversion via the AD&D sourcebook. Classes would be:

Warrior (Knight of Solamnia would get their own 1st level quest to join the Knights)ThiefWizard* (get their own 1st-level quest, the Test of High Sorcery, alignment choice determines robe color; each gets a slightly different spell progression, maybe some unique spells, and a bit of healing / curatives for White robes)DwarfElf Kender (basically just like halflings, except add some + to pick pockets and nerf the luck slightly)Gnome (optional, completely non-magical, kinda dwarfy with trap disarm abilities/mechanical fiddlin')Minotaur (optional, d18? HD, no MDoA but give them a bull-rush/gore attack that can pushback on a charge and do some damage, maybe give them a nice monster critical table to use for fun)

[from bitflipr]Martial Artist. Based on the kung-fu crazy of the early 70s, this class mirrors the style of Chinese Wushu (but could be adapted to others such as Karate). Differing from a Warrior's raw attack prowess, the Martial Artist dodges often and times their attacks based on their opponent's movements. When an opponent misses the Martial Artist, they are able to counter-attack in combinations. {my add: unarmed effective vs light armor, MA weapon proficiencies, dodge as Gladiator below, maybe dual wield as halfling, no MDoA}[end]

My vote would be for paladin and druid. I have a female player in my group that loves playing druids.

Been giving the design parameters some thought; as to how I would like to see those two character classes implmented within the simple and yet elegant DCC system. Both obviously need tables to invoke their powers/spells/abilities. Whether it is the paladin's god or druid nature patron - there must be some chance of failure and some degree of risk for invoking those powers too often.

Paladin, get rid of the whole "lawful" only, and instead the judge provides 3-5 basic guidelines that the "god" requires all their champions absolutely must follow - at some signficant price for failure.

Druid, perhaps two paths are available, the animal-form druid and tree-hugger (treant) version. With a list of narrowly focused relevant powers available in the table. There is no corruption per se, but as spell failure impacts accumulate, the "druid" becomes more and more like his animal or tree form... so that by 10th level (if he survives) he is a basically a grizzly that can talk or a walking tree.

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot post attachments in this forum